What is the biggest challenge for pet retailers today?Shelaske: Competing with the online vendors.Biggest challenge for the pet industry overall?

Shelaske: We need to stay focused on the betterment of pets and not the thickness of our
wallets.

Are you watching any interesting trends?

Shelaske: The growth of freeze-dried continues to boggle my mind. It’s a hot category, it’s
convenient and looks like kibble, but if you calculate the cost per feeding freeze-dried, it’s also
the most expensive.

For the future of Healthy Pet Products?

Shelaske: We have a north and a south location. I would really like to have east and west
locations. My customers would love that as well.

IT’S A RETAIL LIFE arranged, with can labels and bag edges lined up perfectly, and stickers are carefully placed.

“I like my stores to be clean and odor free; it
makes for a calmer mindset, shoppers are likely to stay longer, and items are easier to find,”
Shelaske says.

This welcoming environment is heightened
as customers are greeted warmly by name and
enjoy a leisurely browse.

“I believe in a soft sell. Our clients normal-ly reach out to us when they need assistance,”she adds. “We are not here just to sell things.We are here because we truly care.”In this way, it is not uncommon for associ-ates to spend an hour or more with a customerseeking nutritional advice.

“I have one staff member dedicated to con-sultations. She really knows her stuff,” Shelas-ke says. “Between the two of us, we really getdown and dirty when it comes to figuringthings out.”The free-of-charge sessions normally takeplace on the spot but can also be scheduledahead of time.

“I know my customers by name,” Shelaskesays. “If I forget a customer’s name, I remem-ber their pet’s name and, almost 90 percentof the time, I can recall what food they arefeeding.”Staffers are encouraged to forge relation-ships with customers. Many of these associateswere once customers themselves, resulting in afirm grasp of store principles and product.

“Hiring customers has been unbelievablysuccessful,” she says. “Generally, I am the oneto approach them to ask if they are interestedin a part-time job.”Training is accomplished through hands-onexperience, shadowing of more-experiencedsales associates, online and in-store manufac-turer trainings, and staff meetings.

“Our people learn as they go. It takes time
to acquire the verbiage—for instance, what to
say and do if a customer walks in saying, ‘My
cat is in renal failure,’” Shelaske says.

The nutritional philosophy at Healthy Pet
Products champions a diet of “real” food.

“I tell my customers that the more realfood their pets eat, the better off they will be,”she says. “I consider this to be home-cooked,freeze-dried, dehydrated, raw or even cannedbecause it is moist.”Goat’s milk is often recommended as anaddition to a kibble-based diet. As a result, thereduction in the amount of kibble fed will boostpet health, according to Shelaske.

“I try not to push my views completely, orto judge. Not everyone wants to let go of kibblebecause it’s a comfort factor or there might becost prohibitions,” she says. “Over time though,as pet owners learn the reasoning, they usuallyend up switching to better options.”A wide range of supplements is presentedin the “medicine cabinet” section, an ever-ex-panding category. When it comes to snack time,a wholesome array of treats, from freeze-driedtidbits to biscuits, delight the palates of four-legged foodies. In addition, a full complementof leashes, collars, crates, pads, toys and otherpet supplies is available. A limited selection ofsmall animal products, as well as chicken feedand supplies, join the mix.

“I try to be a one-stop shop,” Shelaske says.

Locally and USA-sourced products are in
demand and stocked as much as possible.

“This designation is very important to me
and to my customers,” she says. “People in
Pittsburgh are supportive of their neighbors
and want to shop local.”

Environmental awareness is also encouraged and transcends the stores’ yearly Earth
Day celebrations. Mindfulness includes providing reusable totes, with discounts to customers taking advantage of this offering or utilizing their own bags. For raw food shoppers,
logoed freezer bags are supplied.

“Customers often like to take product
home in boxes, so we keep those on hand, too,”
Shelaske says. “It’s sometimes easier to carry
a supply of raw food in a box, and it actually
serves as a little bit of insulation. We also reuse
the trays that canned foods come in.”

SPREADING THE WORD

Pet care and nutritional education is often seasoned with a little fun.

Local pups and their people converge for
a cooling appetizer and a bit of summertime
mingling during Ice Cream Social Saturdays.

“We make our own little individual frozen
freezer pops using Puppy Cake Ice Cream,
which is local to western Pennsylvania,”
Shelaske says.

Gratitude takes a walk on the festive side
when Healthy Pet Day rolls around. The annual soirée celebrates customers, who stroll the
parking lots of each location to visit with rescue agencies, check out vendor booth offerings
and enjoy a good time.

The fete is tag-lined as a “fun-filled, informative and freebie kind of day,” and it
offers plenty of complimentary samples, canine demonstrations and entertainment for
children.

“It is a huge event, and every year it grows,”
Shelaske says. “It is my biggest volume day.”
When the Healthy Pet Products tent pops
up at community happenings, attendees are
sure to come away with plenty of informative
literature and free samples.

“We don’t sell anything, but our tent is lo-goed,” Shelaske says. “We try to be present atall local events.”As title sponsor of the Pittsburgh Pet Expofor the past five years, Shelaske has seen theshowcase flourish. Open to the public andheld at the Pittsburgh Convention Center, lastyear’s event welcomed 15,000 spectators and250 vendors, and it included grooming com-petitions, diving dogs, and gussied-up petsstrutting and sashaying in the costume contest.

“It’s an awesome show,” she says.

When it comes time for a little four-legged
merrymaking, Healthy Pet Products’ own
Pawrty in the Park does not disappoint. Be-

Top: Healthy Pet Products has two retail locations and one grooming operation in thePittsburgh area.Bottom: The stores offer a variety of wholesome snacks, from freeze-dried offeringsto biscuits and chews, to satisfy pets’ palates.